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Arek
Arek, a regular participant since ITM II, has often been a polarizing and controversial figure due to his capacity to acquire immense power. He is nonetheless a formative figure of the game. General Traits Arek, as a central character in every ITM since the second, can be difficult to summarize, since across games he has shown markedly different traits and behavior. Nonetheless, similarities are readily apparent. His alignment is usually in the Chaotic Good / Taoist spectrum: With a great love for freedom, both personal and social, he nonetheless also shows traits of compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and mercy. However, he is sometimes criticized for being too readily able to rationalize extreme actions without regard for micro-level consequences as well as his unorthodox morality that sometimes seems to justify self-aggrandizing behavior and gaining power. Despite these alignment traits, he also has been a potential or actual villain in ITM 3, where had the arc continued he would have performed extreme actions to restore and/or purify the world; ITM 5, where he became a villainous psychopath with two distinct personalities; and ITM 6, where after the Dragon Ball wish it was possible that he would lose himself to his Buu nature. Arek usually is able to display intelligence and leadership, often speaking for the party, planning tactics and approaches to problems, and so forth. He tries to emphasize non-combative approaches to problems, but when combat is necessary, he tends to advocate rapid dominance so as to reduce casualties on all sides. Arek has been a Power Magi, a being granted natural magical power with a focus on controlling and manipulating Power itself, in many of the ITMs thus far. In general, his combat and play style is distinguished by a wide variety of abilities anchored by a few core pivotal power sources allowing him to contribute in almost every role. He tends to prefer Magic but has been known to use Psi, Ki, Valor and Technique as well. He tends to have a playstyle centered around overwhelming offense that not only does immense damage but also keeps enemies unable to fight back, staggered, disoriented and demoralized, blitzkrieg ''tactics combined with sophisticated manuevering and broad-ranging abilities. Arek - ITM 2 ''Main article: Magi Arek In the first ITM Arek played in, Arek did not benefit from the Memories of Past Self trait, having not played the previous games. Nonetheless, he quickly closed the gap in power. He trained under Mr. Buu, his future enlightened Universal Magi self, Kimimaro and (for a very brief period) Master Betty. He was distinguished by his fast flight, devastating Magic, variety of powers, capacity to grow quickly, and by being the wielder of Tempest and Justice and Neutral Excalibur. Arek - ITM 3 Main article: ''Sorcerer Supreme Arek During Tower ITM, Arek was consistently the strongest of the New Braves. The holder of the Aquarius Stone, he was being marked to become the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, a title that had increased in importance exponentially since the apocalypse that had rent asunder the universe. In terms of the plot, his major contributions were establishing a strong resistance to Wireface and the Twenty-Four and his beginning to seek out The Light, an entity contrary to the design of Wireface. Had the arc continued, he would likely have attempted to transform the universe and become an antagonist, had Poisonuskeifer's instant-karma wish from the Dragon Balls not demonstrated immediately the folly of his path. Arek - ITM 4 ''Main article: ''Hollow Arek In ITM 4, Arek was conspicuously missing for much of the early arcs. He finally appeared to battle an insiduous necromancer. Distinguishing himself at Mt. Ordeals, he discovered his Magi powers. However, these powers, while impressive, were not enough to battle antagonists like Orochimaru, so he reached out for the power of Aizen and became a Hollow. He was on his path to becoming an arrancar before the game ended. Arek - ITM 5 ''Main article: ''Emperor Arek Achieving possibly the greatest power and influence in any of the ITMs, Emperor Arek began humbly enough, as another Power Magi. However, a chance encounter at the PG&E plant across from Nevada Woods apartments caused him to become twisted and evil, with two personalities: DF, a blood-loving sociopath embracing terror, chaos and slaughter; and Emperor Arek, a totalitarian representation of Arek's Superego who would impose his will on the world. Working in conjunction, the two achieved great power and temporal influence, finally ascending to become Brek, Lord of Sinistrals. With the full power of the Wyrm, the fused power of Aizen, the Sinistrals and the Espada as his servants, and the Fortress of Doom, he blasted the universe into even more abject misery than it had started in. After having made a deal with the Wanderer to remake the universe and improve it, Arek returned to a relatively normal life, becoming a Senator and seeking out redemption for his countless atrocities. Unfortunately, the Wanderer's new universe was not to last, and he found himself returning to the chaos of the universe he had left, where Brek's terror was still a recent memory. He attempted to become the Sorcerer Supreme to purify the dark power and intentions still within him, and after achieving immense power once more (though an infinitesimal fraction of his prior strength), he and the rest of the heroes began to siege a black tower to end the chaos once and for all... Arek - ITM 6 ''Main article: ''Martial Artist Arek During the brief Cadmius ITM, Arek was transformed by the Luminarium into a Buu with a specialty in martial arts. Engaging Cadmius, Arek was responsible for the infamous wish that would not only revive Mario as originally intended but grant the heroes power so immense that any challengers like Cadmius would be utterly destroyed. Arek - ITM 7 ''Main article: ''Druid Arek ''Main article: ''Buu Arek In ITM 7, Arek began ignobly, getting shot in the head at the beginning of the game. Becoming a Swamp Thing, he followed the path of the Druid, abandoning his Chaotic Good ideals to embrace the neutral path of the Druid. Some of his important accomplishments included generating the infinite energy that would birth the new Dr. Manhattan and a mutant and acting as one of the primary tanks during the climb up Mt. Ordeals. After the Ordeals, Arek became a Buu Magi. His training under Cell, Archer, Minwu and Luffy granted him an explosive growth rate, allowing him to quickly become nigh-unstoppable. He tied with Yusuke in the quarter-finals of the Dark Tournament. When Quixotic Unity was performed, Fred was finally fused with DF, becoming a Universal Magi. The wish of the Dark Tournament in turn made him into an Avatar, a monitor of space and time. After the defeat of the Gypsy King, he created a new universe beyond good and evil for those who wished to come. Arek - ITM 8 ''Main article: ''Knight Arek In ITM 8, Arek was a Knight and a Bard. After having been killed by the nuclear weapon he was central in saving thousands from, he was reincarnated into a knightly body. Discovering his Cyber-Knight's Psi-Sword during the near-rout that Betelgeuse had inflicted, he slowly built immense vitality and became the team's tank. After the defeat of the Flameborn that assaulted Redmore, he awaited knighting. After being integral in the defeat of C'tun, Arek trained under Cecil Harvey to advance his knightly skills. He became a Saint with the rest of the group after saving the Jade Emperor from a Yeerk infestation. This protected him from further attacks from Betelguese and his ilk. Arek then trained under Wyatt Halliwell and Bill and Ted, before going off to the disastrous fight against Kridos. When the Scions of Death betrayed Kridos and freed their parents, Arek was liberated from stasis. DF had attempted to secure a backup plan by infecting his genetic father's cells, but Arek was far too mentally and physically tough and instead upgraded from a Bard to a Harmony Magi. His sudden powers reinvigorated the team and allowed Kridos' humiliating defeat. DF - ITM 8. 3 ''Main article: ''DF In the abortive evil campaign, ITM 8.3, Arek's genetic offspring was actually a near-perfect clone, Dominique Farruk, or DF. DF had intended a wide variety of gambits and plans against what he believed to be his father, Kridos. These ended up failing thanks to the intervention of a select group of heroes, but DF would not be defeated so easily. He instead launched one of his final plans: Destroying himself to create a cascading wave that ended the universe... Arek - ITM 8. 6 ''Main article: ''Gear Arek In ITM 8.6, Arek was finishing ITM 8.0/ITM 8.3 when suddenly Necron attacked the group, followed by Jimmy. As he ran, trying to get forces to regroup, DF skewered him with a spear made of blood and urinated upon him. This humiliation was formative, and led Arek to run from the Scions of Death, hoping to find a safe place to train and launch a counter-attack. After having built the Sanctum Sanctorum, Arek found the Eye of Siva, an enchanted weapon that imbued him with superheroic powers. Later, he discovered his Gear cells and developed his Gear powers, training under Ragna Bloodedge to unlock the secrets of Armagus and the Soul Eater Drive. In the Obelisk of Rifts Earth, Arek discovered that he had in fact been aware in the past of Kridos and the Scions' arrival and plans, and had coordinated with the rest of the team to plan a preemptive gambit. This gambit involved wiping out their own memories. Arek had learned magic to slay and banish Kridos. Arek - ITM 9 ''Main article: ''Terminator Arek In ITM 9, Arek was killed by the Empire of Blood when it was discovered that he would not cooperate with their plans. He got transformed into a Terminator, and his mental power made him into a Psi-Nullifier. Over time, his sophistication increased until he became Demiurge Unit Omega, a robotic unit convinced by the extension of the Laws of Robotics that entropy could only be defeated by destroying and recreating the universe. His threat was so obvious that he reminded the Empress of Blood who she was, and was turned into a battery. Arek - ITM 10 ''Main article: Pirate Arek In ITM 10, as the world transformed, Arek got no small bit of wanderlust. He became a pirate, his first ship, the Solar Wind, sailing on the open horizon. Even as the Earth became corrupted, Arek braved the deeps and sought out treasure and the title of Pirate King and Kage of the Village Hidden Amidst the Seas. Ultimately, Arek achieved these goals but had to be sealed to keep corruption sealed away, the corruption that had claimed the Emperor, the Demiurge and God. Arek - ITM 11 Main article: Zentraedi High Magus Arek In ITM 11, in the dream world, Arek transformed into a Zentraedi High Magus. As a Zentraedi, he had immense natural skill at mech piloting, a combat instinct honed in his blood, and the ultimate ability to macronize and thus increase his mystic energy, strength and endurance. As a High Magus, he learned the strongest incantations first, mastering the greatest magics of creation and defense. Arek worked on advancing his own mystic power, seeking out the book Excalibur. He ultimately fought Kindori and decided along with the other party members to keep the dream and real world fused. Arek - ITM 12 Main article: Lavos Arek In the aftermath of Kindori's defeat, the party was unable to regain their powers and found themselves hunted. However, once they discovered that they could channel communal powers instead of the individual archetypes, he found himself transforming into a Lavos. Ultimately, Lavos Arek fought the Triad, a group comprised of a ninja, a Saiyan named Orion, and a psychiatrist with no powers who had sought to ascend to the category of the angels or gods of the ITM worlds by defeating the group (who were reincarnations of prior heroes). He had become a Time Defender, the inverse of the Time Devourer, by absorbing a Troll woman into his essence and body. Arek - ITM 13 ''Main article: ''Divine Shadow Arek After an attack by a Slender Man at Comic-Con, Arek became an SCP. In specific, his SCP transformation turned him into a living insectoid ship and a Whitelighter. The group worked for the SCP Foundation, and ultimately they found after moving between worlds due to a cigar box that there was a way of either turning everyone into an SCP, killing all SCP (including the players) or otherwise irrevocably altering the world by using SCP-1. However, after the group decided to unleash the SCP onto the world and restore all those who had died in the process of the SCP plague, they discovered that in fact the world they were part of had been a simulation called The Real. The real world had a remarkably similar prior history, but was far advanced. This world had become plagued by astral beings of suffering, who were ultimately dealt with by creating a whole artificial world of sentients who would absorb those beings and endure their suffering. Ultimately, it was revealed that the designers of the Real had created it for their own ends as well, which were to find people who could challenge them. The party challenged and beat them. Arek - ITM 14 ''Main article: ''Mummy Arek In this iteration, during the first Blood Moon (and during his birthday, the day that Osiris had slated Bennu-Asim to become Amenti again), Arek like everyone else dealt with electric zombies and a Fuckwit. It was revealed that some human beings could become Awakened, and join an organization called the Hetaria, but that the Hetaria had to keep a careful eye on the number of Awakened, as there was only so much power in the human consciousness to divide.